What it’s like to work in the world’s greatest office

The SC Johnson administrative building was Frank Lloyd Wright’s corporate masterpiece. What does it feel like?
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SC Johnson’s Administrative Building and Research Tower in Racine, Wisconsin, have become legendary as corporate headquarters buildings. The Administrative Building’s Great Workroom is a stunning example of architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s unique approach to office design.
But what did it really feel like? Vox’s Phil Edwards visited the HQ to find out - and try actually working there. He also visited the Hardy House, an earlier Wright design that features many of the same Wright signatures found in the SC Johnson building, from custom designed furniture to ideas about compression and expansion.
Watch the video to see what it really feels like to work in such a space.
Further Reading:
www.amazon.com/Frank-Lloyd-Wr...
Jonathan Lipman’s book about Sc Johnson is one of the best-sourced and most comprehensive books about the building’s history.
www.amazon.com/Frank-Lloyd-Wr...
Mark Hertzberg’s exhaustive knowledge of the Hardy House - and his experiencing photographing it - is evident in his book about the building. His blog, Wright in Racine (wrightinracine.wordpress.com/) also has great facts and stories about Wright’s work.
www.scjohnson.com/en/interact...
SC Johnson provides free tours of the Administrative Building as well as of Wingspread, a nearby home that Wright also designed.
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[@Vox]

In this room, there was also corporate hierarchy embedded in the fabrics and materials. Chairs were color-coded by department, and higher ranking executives got nicer wood for their otherwise identical desks. Thanks for watching! -Phil

[@lacascadaobregon]

Surprised Architectural Digest didn’t put this video on this building first :-P come on Vox, we need more! We love architecture

[@theanswerisowl]

And the managers were literally put a little higher up there above the room. Interesting, but truly disagreeable

[@onemorechris]

great video, fascinating subject. so glad i never had to work in a place like this though.

[@ailo4x4]

@@theanswerisowl I would disagree. It is important for leaders to be able to physically see what is going on. Sometimes that requires MBWA (mgmt by walking around), sometimes that means a desk with a view. And it is just as important to be seen as it is to see. That keeps the relationship between the leader and the led in close contact. Remember that their offices were open too, just at the mezzanine level. The worst work environment is where the top brass is hidden away in closed offices down narrow corridors on high floors that the worker has no access to. :-/

[@conspickerous]

Could’ve - no, wait - should’ve been a longer video Phil so you had more time focusing on some parts of the building. It is an interesting building for sure, I hope I would be able to visit it one time. Please continue making wonderful docs such as this, Phil & Vox. Wouldn’t mind having it 20-30 minutes long. 😅

[@jayyork2710]

The building looks like it would be a really good public library

[@va4977]

I work regularly at the French national library in Paris. It's very designed from the building to the furniture. It actually makes a difference on your mood. A designed public library is actually a very nice thing to have nearby :)

[@samgrillo1]

that's exactly what i thought hahha

[@brickmack]

And, to the point about offices being irrelevant now, libraries are probably what will replace them for the purposes where remote work isn't fully optimal or personally desirable. Why have a dedicated office building for each company? Just build a bunch of libraries, with meeting spaces and presentation equipment and that sort of thing, and individuals or groups can go there and do whatever they need

[@CraftyF0X]

@@brickmack Have to say, that is an interesting idea.

[@simonmartin2558]

The library in the marin county municipal building is also a FLR design and it has similar features

[@zeomora3512]

As my architecture professor always qoutes: "Architecture is the picture frame not the picture." This is exactly why.

[@1diana1995]

@@swoondrones that it’s not what’s important. It contains the important things, the people.

[@Kevin-fj5oe]

Civil engineering: "please, just let me sleep"

[@robbieaulia6462]

​@@Kevin-fj5oe architect: "Wake up Jimmy, someones gotta make this beautiful frame hold itself together."

[@danycashking]

I think a big part of the "disappointment" experienced is also the fact that before modern laptops work was more tactical and the environment engaging, there is no point in having custom desk drawers that give better access when all your files are pdf's and excel sheets you get with a click. There is no reaching for the desk phone anymore but again just a click on Teams. There is no taking a document package to a coworker across the office but just attach to an email and click send. A great physical environment fails when it isn't interacted with.

[@avocadomonkey4892]

Exactly! The whole point about the 3-legged chair were the "non-standard" movements of reaching outward, not to mention downward to use the pull-out drawers. Or getting up often to walk to different areas or talk to people. It felt like a Starbucks because the worker sent to the greatest office in the world was a remote worker, not an office worker. It's too bad they didn't send someone who could use it as an office and give feedback on usage, including ergonomics (were the pull-out drawers better for your arm/back than standard drawers?).

[@ElisaAvigayil]

So says a man without understanding. All of those bottom desk drawers are the perfect size for a woman's work purse, which would have contained her lunch (because women were underpaid and couldn't afford to go out to lunch) and menstrual products, discreetly tucked away in her large, private office drawer. If you see from the photos, all the people working on the floor were women and all of the people in managerial roles on the mezzanine level were men.

[@ElisaAvigayil]

And there are filing cabinets all throughout the floor. You seem to have missed that, too.

[@kmbbmj5857]

@@ElisaAvigayil I noticed the room was filled with relatively modern file cabinets positioned to break up the space into more "human sized" sections.

[@conspickerous]

As an architect, I’d love to hear these kinds of stories. The psychological and emotional effect of the building on its users. After all, we design buildings with people inside it, in mind. The users are part of every design so without them, the building does feel incomplete. Great storytelling as usual, Phil and Vox.

[@Ugly_German_Truths]

the Johnson office has some negative aspects too, that the reporter couldn't really capture as he just played "working" there for one day with barely anybody else in the house... but with 60 workers on an unobstructed single floor it will be LOUD (the two similar office spaces where i worked in the past that has separators at about breastheight of a standing human already were distractingly "busy") and with Management sitting on the balcony and always looking down on the workers it can easily turn into a pretty oppressive working climate with micromanagers really breathing down your neck. When it was built, those might not have been as prevalent, cause there was neither phones on each place nor the constant noise of typing on 100 keyboards, with the handwriting employees being used to have constant supervision, but we've moved on from that work style in the last 80 years... for good reasons!

[@KarinLynnBates]

I just commented that my grandma, who worked in the Great Workroom, complained of the noise! She said it was hard to do her job. I wish I could ask her more about it, but she passed away over 20 years ago. My mom has some promotional photos with S.C. Johnson Wax products and my grandmother showing them off. I need to ask my mom to see those photos again!

[@drac124]

This is the story architects like to tell: We design building with users in mind. But really, its just opposite. You design buildings to look different, unpractical to get famous for it.

[@conspickerous]

@@drac124 I don’t know which architects you follow that made you arrive at such bold accusation. Are you involved in the industry and are aware of the usual design process that includes programming and schematic design? Were you involved in a disastrous one that made conclude that we architects only design buildings so they would look different?

[@kmbbmj5857]

@@conspickerous Most of us have to work in them. Shortcomings become very apparent when you have to work in a building daily. Just one example, I think all architects should have to spend a year working as movers/installers in both residential and commercial buildings.

[@meanlittlegoblin]

You've done it. You've summed up Lefebvre's space vs place manifesto. For a space to become a place it needs to be peopled, emotional, create community and imagination. The virtues of this space were its placemaking capabilities - but those are only activated via community, by connection.

[@pendaco]

I like that you turned people into a verb 😄 We the people peopled!

[@Petteri82]

I really like how there was no forced "but wait" kind of moment. It's an office, a great one but still. Workplaces are really about people and have to be designed around their needs.

[@jeffreythemeditator]

Petteri: I think I get the "forced 'but wait' moment" but what is this? Something other presenters use that seems aritficial and annoying?

[@Seeker0fTruth]

I think it sounds like: the arc in the storyline that gives a dramatic “but wait there’s more!” moment, but yeah, a narrative that is perhaps more dramatic than it might actually be in real life

[@icecreambone]

an important part of this space is that there's a LOT OF SPACE between people. people often take away the openness without realizing you need enough space to make people comfortable

[@agalva100]

Exactly. I feel like nowadays the concept of “open” offices just translates into a bunch of people in a tiny space with rows and rows of desks nest to each other, downright stressful.

[@ntdscherer]

Well a lot of space is expensive, which is bad for the shareholders, so, you know...

[@unliving_ball_of_gas]

@@ntdscherer My first thought when I saw this. The ceiling space is ENORMOUS. So is the price

[@e_eyster]

The "Open Office" is only good for certain types of employees. I would crumble in one. Love my cube. Can put in one of my headphone buds and get work done, but still am able to answer questions when people come by and need to talk. Too much interaction when not needed is too much of a distraction (and too stressful) for introverted people

[@nahm8223]

This is exactly what I was thinking! Nothing better to focus and work in than a cozy introvert corner lol

[@falsemcnuggethope]

I'm an introvert but I didn't mind open offices. I was able to zone in when there was a moderate amount of background noise. I'm much happier with remote work though, partly because it's easier to reach my coworkers.

[@falsemcnuggethope]

@Dark Kermit why bother with pyjamas?

[@annaeeee7516]

Me too! I would never be able to focus in an office like this. It's too distracting. I can see it be great for certain types of industries or as a grand meeting room or lounge, but not as an offi e where I need to focus.

[@sarahjeannexd]

same. I feel so exposed and there's too much noise including visual noise.

[@henrynewman8524]

Frank Lloyd Wright was famous for being difficult - he often designed more for the theory and the aesthetic, less for the actual use. He was so obstinate in the face of requested changes that people eventually just stopped hiring him all together. It is not super surprising to me that this office had so many problems - and in the end, was not great to work in. On a personal note, working in an office where we are all in view of each other and the managers look on from a balcony like hawks would make me freeze.

[@edengil9369]

His office concept reminds me of the panopticon lol

[@Dev1nci]

@@edengil9369Only because you are ignoring a key ingredient of the working of the panopticon- the guards occupy a tower that cannot be seen into- so the prisoner would not know if he was being watched. However I will admit to the intimidating nature of the staff being perched higher-up but I think it was a product of not having a model to base his design on and looking perhaps considering work-flow more than the bottom user.

[@Zephyr77]

This office unironically looks like a horrible place to work. I would absolutely despise such an open design, people constantly walking past, behind, and in front of me, and never knowing if someone is looking over my shoulder.

[@Dev1nci]

@@Zephyr77 I work in an open plan office, it's not that bad. The 'Panopticon' passive surveillance is potentially a problem, like you said, especially if your management has small-man syndrome. Kinda puts to power in the management's hand to either improve or worsen their employees lives. Bearing in mind that it was a family-business vibe it might have been a tool that was used to help rather than repress. As is the case with a lot of modernist work- it was meant to be applied as an archi-type but was formed in a special environment which means that it's not that applicable to other circumstances.

[@magicknight13]

@@edengil9369ooooh I love that comparison!!!

[@Kellinatorable]

In college my go-to study area was the school's natural sciences building. I never understood why I liked to study there so much until I saw this video. My school's natural science building was the only building with natural lighting from the ceiling. It also had some of the compression/expansion concepts. I don't know why, but I felt productive there, even if I was studying by myself

[@halfsourlizard9319]

Do you have evidence that you were actually productive? Feeling productive is irrelevant.

[@apeekintime]

We look back at "old" design with awe and call it genius far too often. I will agree that most design firms/consultants that product new open office layouts are too worried about aesthetic and not function. I've worked in a few offices and visited far more (my job required travel to client offices) and the open office layouts look impressive. Those open offices often lead to people sitting as far apart as possible to have more "space" since they didn't have cubicle walls that made them feel like they were more secluded. Even in the most open of offices I visited the most important decision maker still have offices. Why? People like privacy. They don't like coworkers, subordinates, or peers overhearing their conversations or judging how "active" they are.

[@odw32]

And apart from privacy, I also like focus. I think ideally, offices offer a bunch of different zones. Ranging from "open-plan have a fun chat zone" to "semi-secluded pair-working corners" to "small group brainstorming room" to "soundproof booth with a toilet-door lock".

[@anthonymorales842]

knowledge is power, people are flawed. Privacy gives control over some of those variables

[@WarthogARJ]

Exactly. This video was poorly done. Zero analysis and 100% fluff. I HATE open plan sitting, at least if your work requires you to be able to concentrate. I'd like to see a thorough analysis of the actual cost/worker of an open plan office vs enclosed spaces. And of semi-enclosed.

[@Zephyr77]

This office looks like a horrible place to work

[@brianfunt2619]

Hard disagree. I find working in a cubicle depressing. I like having open space around me as I work. I had privacy for 2 years of WFH during the pandemic and I don't want to go back to that.

[@ssartworks7396]

Vox always bring something interesting. Offices are usually boring...

[@bass6051]

The video is good, but adding a little diversity would go a loong way. That would make it great. (regardless of the location)

[@timwetzel9525]

TBH - I would prefer to see more of the building than the FaceTime chat with Bridget and the other editor. (But agree on the diversity point.).

[@pompomaddons]

Pretty sure this is botted, the likes aren’t organic. Are you based in Russia or China?

[@ssartworks7396]

@@pompomaddons lol, I'm south American, Gy. My own videos dont even reach those amount of likes, wish it would. Weird

[@Adowrath]

@@bass6051 Wdym?

[@Thebreakdownshow1]

Turns out the greatest office building is your house. I love the slow trip at the beginning.

[@RafaelCabreraAzrael]

100% home is the office

[@williamschendel7522]

That's a depressing thought....

[@Thebreakdownshow1]

@@williamschendel7522 working? Or working from home?

[@Thebreakdownshow1]

@@RafaelCabreraAzrael you work from home?

[@williamschendel7522]

@@Thebreakdownshow1 That the greatest office building is your home. That's the depressing thought.

[@AndrewJQueen]

Should've brought a team with you! Added in co-workers and tried to recreate a small piece of what it was like to work in that space.

[@samwight]

@@UpThaPunxx Eww

[@Voltaire8559]

That’s an awesome idea

[@hasansawan4970]

Exactly, and you would need some collective typewriters sound in the background to be more accurate with your recreation.

[@jtsholtod.79]

I had the pleasure of working with SCJ as a consultant for many years, and had numerous meetings in this building. Despite the many leaks, mice in the window tubes and really uncomfortable period furniture (including the three-legged chairs), each visit was a remarkable experience. The group eventually had to move to the Shoop building on the Racine waterfront because of the basement mold.

[@mementomori3195]

That column concept also used by Dutch architect, Thomas Karsten, for Pasar Johar (Johar Market), Semarang Indonesia (back in time it part of Netherland Indies). He designed Pasar Johar in 1937 and before Johar, he also applied that column design for Pasar Jatingaleh in 1931. Karsten is humanist architect. He applying the design that usually made for European office, for the natives folk like traditional market.

[@adrynnovak3648]

yo thanks for the information- got to check it out!

[@admireandinspire4525]

Random information from random people in random places

[@AlvaroRADHITYA]

whoa I'm an Indonesian but I didn't know about this, thanks for the info

[@williamschendel7522]

One you start looking for them, you'll see the lily pad/dendriform columns everywhere. Every architect working today knows of this space.

[@farifairis7388]

woo.. ngono to, cak.. nembe ngeh aku.. mung pernah ndelok fotone ae si..

[@ResanChea]

The point of the office was it being a shared space. Meant for teams to easily communicate and operate effectively. Since all our work are mostly in the cloud and one device. You didn't use any of it's intended purpose other than being a desk.

[@mrpoopoo888]

Maybe working from home is just a fad then? I'm just asking the question.

[@thatBMWill]

Did you watch to the end? That was the entire point he made lol

[@rockets4kids]

It's a shame Phil didn't try to interview people who actually worked in the office.

[@bootscats2928]

The atmosphere is also important

[@AnymMusic]

@@mrpoopoo888 I don't think so, necessarily. It'll heavily depend on what job you have. Smth more solo like call centre work could fit into a WFH model. More teamwork oriented work could be best suit for an office space, and true solo work with some communal problem solving like coding could be a hybrid function. We've had this idea of ultimatums wherever we go. Either all-in, or not at all. A, or B. Black, or white, but this isn't how the world works and not even how our society works. We'll need to go on a job-by-job basis to see which method works best

[@bayani7626]

They should've interviewed the old workers in that office

[@dannyarcher6370]

Compression and expansion are two terms I needed to know for a future design of my own house. I knew the sense I wanted to have but not the terminology. Thanks!

[@bradleyjames5454]

Think of a church design, also do the same thing

[@williamschendel7522]

Take a road trip and visit any one of Wright's works, you'll get a real feel for Compression and Expansion in every single one of his works. He found many different way's to achieve it. Everytime, it was effective.

[@Bugneedfix]

The best office ever is where the company isn’t exploiting your labor

[@Samuelhgflax]

Hasn’t been built yet :(

[@muchosmitos2000]

best comment ever

[@bingoberra18]

If you feel exploited you are free to leave

[@BenSS]

@@bingoberra18 free to starve*

[@aturchomicz821]

A Cuban office?🤔

[@grantasilom5844]

They didn't show the tower, it was also quite amazing. It uses a centralized core with-out a column. You have an uninterrupted view of a seamless window that goes around each floor.

[@j.mieses8139]

I believe the Tower is closed to the Public. It does not meet Building Codes and Fire Code. It was not modified and thus remains closed

[@samaraisnt]

They missed a lot imho~

[@johnfritsche4612]

The tower LOOKS cool. As a practical science research tower, it was a nightmare to work in, and none of the employees were upset when it became vacant and dormant decades ago. They were much happier in the boring, conformist buildings they were moved into

[@bethanykarasek7819]

This is my hometown! I always knew it was special, but it feels even more special seeing it being shared with the world!

[@avigull]

This is really just a piece about a remote worker longing for companionship

[@korlu01]

Michael Scott would strongly disagree

[@dwaynejohnson8606]

i disagree 🐕

[@CulturedBear]

@@dwaynejohnson8606 it's about drive

[@dariarusu3845]

Did you even watched the Office?

[@SchgurmTewehr]

Congratulations to Mr. Scott for having his own opinion.

[@gaeborg]

@@CulturedBear it's about flour

[@culturetreasures]

Great design is about how it blends with people. This Space was meant for lots of people working together and if this was the case in the video, I’m sure it would feel as he designed it to feel. Spectacular 🙌🏻 still I’m super jealous you got to experience it. Strange times we live in..

[@designinquest]

I completely Agree with this

[@culturetreasures]

@@designinquest 🙏

[@williamschendel7522]

I can't even imagine being allowed to sit on one of the actual chairs, let alone bring my laptop and plop it on the desk and do some googling, all while being permitted to film and photograph everything. None of that is afforded to tour groups or Wright-o-philes.

[@jotermoter]

It is a testimony to FLWs genius that we look at his work and say "It looks like a cool hotel lobby" or "you just look cool in the space". That is because his personal definition of the future has been sustained for almost 100 years and continues to influence how we perceive the future and our place in it to this day.

[@apergiel]

I've worked as a systems/programmer in several modern open offices. They were fun but I much preferred sharing a private office with a equally hardworking colleague. Open may be good for chattering chappys, but not so good for work requiring quiet concentration.

[@bolillo5013]

I live next to two FLR houses, and they’re beautiful. He was truly a genius.

[@JaniceWithTheTarlovCyst]

Indeed he was. Even a child I sensed it. When I was around 11 or 12, I watched a show about Fallingwater. I vowed that one day I would buy it to live in. How naïve of me. I can't even imagine living next to 2 FLW houses.

[@seahawk124]

How much is your house worth? I'm prepared to put in a bid for it.

[@mrfreezeofficial]

lucky you

[@justinrobinson9524]

I live in Wisconsin and one of his houses just went on the market for only 725,000. It is so nice in the inside, modern yet old timely. It is amazing.

[@dashbo]

What a poignant ending. Having stopped desk work recently - I have found both flagship offices, and home offices oppressors of creativity. I think if the passion for the thing we are working on is great enough, then the space becomes unimportant. Without good things, or good people to work with, then I think the space you work in has to do much more to even the the scales. Cracking piece Vox. Again 🤘🏼❤️

[@PHlophe]

Dorian Sims, *Oppressors of creativity* , Chiiiiiile !

[@kaitlyn__L]

Very true. Existing in the same space day after day can really stifle creativity. Novelty in our environment can spark new neural connections and allow us access to ideas we were previously blocked-off from.

[@isk8atparks]

you have the exact kind of profile picture I would expect from this comment.

[@dashbo]

@@PHlophe I reckon ‘Oppressors of Creativity’ sound like a synth band from the early 1980s. Right?

[@dashbo]

@@kaitlyn__L totally agree! The end to this film is so moving. I think this topic is so important nowadays for a huge amount of knowledge workers!

[@austinreed5805]

That office looks like a really advanced library.

[@ericepperson8409]

I worked in a hq building for a few years. When I started I had a cubicle in a corner and was able to focus on my work. After a year and a half we were moved to the 20th floor with an open plan. The manager offices were in the middle and the rank and file got to sit near the windows looking out. It was distracting to see people walking the halls, having conversations outside offices, staring out onto the outside. I felt more capable to focus and be productive when I had a space of my own that didn't require wilfully ignoring my suroundings. At my next job I shared an office with three other people in my team. There were far less distractions and I was able to focus much more. Now I get to work from home. To me that's the greatest office ever.

[@artofgettingup1984]

home office is the best office. the rest of this stuff is more of a money, time waster, and self validator than a collaborator.

[@emilasg]

I would have loved to see more of the house. I can't say that I care much about who is editing the story with you. So introducing a new character midway through instead of doing a tour of this spectacular building is bewildering. You should have brought a nice apple display as a second screen for proper F.L.W. office vibes.

[@pay1370]

as an introvert, i'd hate the possibility of others watching what i do, it's a fancy building building but i'd be so distracted

[@fella9293]

No matter happened i never called myself Introvert

[@bingoberra18]

Do you spend a lot of time watching what other people do in your workplace instead of focusing on your task?

[@tsuchan]

As for that part, does it differ from 'open plan' which most office space in the world is now like?

[@wilsonngwaisoon779]

When I saw the clip, I realized that the office looked oddly familiar to the poster in my office. Then I realized it is our HQ! I didn't know that the building is so ahead of its time. Gonna work hard to get to Racine one day.

[@nicolek4076]

Good office design is so important. I had the privilege of working for Olivetti. Camillo Olivetti and his son, Adriano, understood how inspiring good design could be. It was always a joy to arrive at the office.

[@tangerinebreath]

Didn't really see the point of the phone calls with the editors because it felt like you could just talk/think aloud without wasting their time. But I like the point made about it not being the same without people. Wright designed for the physical office never imagining we would end up in a virtual one. I wonder what he would have created today.

[@rgifari]

it's there to emphasize the disconnectedness of working remotely I think

[@elenacosta1040]

Very telling that the editor said the space looked like a hotel lobby. Architectural innovations and aesthetics tend to be reserved for spaces where aesthetic experiences, shall we say, are carried out. Think of museums, theaters, hotels. But we forget that there’s a feedback between a space’s design and the activity within that space. I think some schools and universities are getting the memo, but work spaces are still lagging behind.

[@amandae7716]

FLWRIGHT designed my college (Florida southern college) after four years there I still always had a sense of awe when entering into any of his buildings. Definitely loved developing film in a FLW designed closet, sorority initiation in the chapel, taking cover from the rain under the esplanades and so many unique experiences. Not many people talk about FSC but it’s an incredible campus with so many beautiful examples of FLWs architectural themes.

[@chrisfitzgerald277]

Phil Edwards' content is so consistently fascinating and intellectually stimulating. Bravo for another spectacular video.

[@spencerberg7477]

Especially good video! Loves the ending, definitely challenged the usual narrative we see when hearing about this building.

[@Lomhow]

This looks like it could be the dopest library ever

[@kaishiimi]

I really like the idea of compression and expansion. It helps me understand why some rooms feel cozy and nice and others dont. Thanks Vox!

[@djtomoy]

I already work in the best office…my home, no commute, no other people, no forced fun and not pointless conversations

[@TheMadMonkey3]

Whats your job? Just curious

[@drac124]

"no forced fun and not pointless conversations" To the point. Give this man a prize for perfectly capturing the office space.

[@EricHunt]

Excellent video. I would have discussed in more detail exactly how this office was so different from existing offices at the time, as I think that's the key to understanding how radical the space truly is.

[@buddysautomotiveSD]

This is truly moving for me! I grew up in Milwaukee (close to Racine) for 29 years. I've seen Write's buildings all over the city, and have even working in a couple. But, none of them are awe inspiring like the SC Johnson building. I've seen that building a hundred times and never thought anything of it. I almost feel bad I moved away from there.

[@tylerismyname]

This video was not what I expected and I loved it. It was a thoughtful exploration of modern work culture through the lens of the dreams of the past. Really enjoyed the bit at the end that showed that really, it's the people that make the space, not the space itself.

[@disarchitected]

This office is really old thinking now. The best offices these days have a variety of spaces based on how people actually work. Large, medium, small spaces with differing levels of privacy and sound insulation. Indoor garden type spaces, coffee shop areas, private booths etc. so differing sizes of teams and departments can work together.

[@TrizzCarter]

That de-escalated so quickly.

[@WTDoorley]

Thank you for this story. I've been a Wright fan since I was a kid. I imagine the people who actually worked there might have felt as you did in some way. If I had to go there to work for eight hours a day, the spectacular architecture would probably have become just a background for the files and papers and office machines I had to deal with. It's the kind of thing one doesn't miss until it's gone. Going back to a more conventional office must have been a shock for the employees. Anyway, thanks again.

[@bugmanjollykk]

I don't understand all the praise for Frank Lloyd Wright. Have you ever worked in an open office setting? Try focusing on your work while there are plenty of people talking, answering phones, walking around. It's impossible. On top of that, open office settings, thanks to the beloved Frank Llloyd Wright, usually place managers offices with spacious comfortable offices, window views, etc. at the edges or one floor above the office workers, so that throughout the day, office workers are constantly checking their shoulders to see if some boss is gazing over them. Frank Lloyd Wright states "This building was designed to be as inspiring a place to work in as any cathedral ever was to worship in", which is ridiculous. Why does this guy get so much praise?

[@RAREFORMDESIGNS]

@@bugmanjollykk I bet you have never been in a great building before.

[@bugmanjollykk]

@@RAREFORMDESIGNS likewise

[@Koutouhara]

I love the desk designs! Really love innovative designs that work with functionality, looks, and people in mind!

[@monicaherrera2224]

If there any fans of furniture, specifically these workstations, you should know that Steelcase and the Frank Lloyd Wright foundation are re-releasing them! The main notable difference is the chairs will actually have 4 legs for stability 😅

[@mayeighteen2812]

Oh wow that’s amazing! I love the designs. 🤩

[@QuintusAntonious]

Frank Lloyd Wright's buildings are unquestionably beautiful, but they are also a great example of ego-architecture that we are still largely using as the model today. The problems with this building like falling materials, impractical furniture, and leaks are common in almost every FLW building. He didn't like to listen to engineers when they warned him that his ideas were impractical and so these buildings got built and their inhabitants had to deal with the issues that came with them. I can't complain too much though, as a preservationist, it provides a steady stream of work and the solutions we come up with to solve the problems in his buildings often end up being innovations that benefit the field of conservation broadly.

[@harrisondumesich7966]

Brilliant - the beauty of spaces comes from their ability to accomodate and enrich interactions

[@vinaykrishnaa5295]

A powerful message on the way of work. And that way changes constantly - particularly harsher in the past couple of years.

[@clarkkentmalabanan5626]

best office is always about the boss

[@archivedii]

or about DN

[@macondo_100]

He didn't like Bridget saying it looked like a cool hotel reception and he changed editors

[@ChicagoJohnnyVegas]

"A work of art is never finished but merely abandoned." - Paul Valéry What a fantastic piece of journalism!

[@Peace_And_Love42]

I really appreciate how vox videos can sometimes feel like the testing of a hypothesis. Thanks to everybody who worked on this video!

[@gee_emm]

We all love FLW. However… who actually enjoys working in these open plan spaces? How many of the people who design them, do so from the comfort of their own private studio?

[@TheWetdonkey]

Yeah, the video feels like a Joe Rogan interview. Someone just accepting what they've been told without questioning anything.

[@AileTheAlien]

The real love is from management, not spending excess dollars on walls. (Who always get closed offices.)

[@Meg_A_Byte]

We've completely disconnected architecture from work and how it affects us. Or did we connect with it on a different level, being able to make it whatever we want yet without any people? Is there a need for architecture if there aren't any people around? This video was great and very thought-provoking. Thanks for that.

[@kongcichan4265]

Even if people are working remotely from home, there are still public spaces that people will use. Architecture will always exist whether it is your private space or a shared forum. Humans seek social interaction. Transitional spaces like strain stations, airports and bus stops is a good example.

[@onemorechris]

modern architecture is not about connecting with people anymore. It’s about an expression, or store of wealth, it’s about showing off. It’s not about utility or purpose for the people that actually use it as the building in the video was. The Google office space that was mentioned is a good example. the point of that building is to trap their employees inside so they work more; hence the food and slides. it’s a millennial prison, they don’t want anyone to connect with it, they want its inhabitants to work for free. (i didn’t mean that to quite a negative, lol)

[@jrm8061]

I work at a contact center that is now hybrid. I love the days I work from home because I get self-conscious about others listening to how I handel my calls. I mean, I know that my supervisor, mentor, and call control is listening, but I get nervous knowing that others are listening too. Especially because the building is almost always empty. I won't say it's all bad because you also get to pick up a thing or two when listening to others more tenured, but I love being remote most of the time. That building must have been epic during its time though.

[@maildaemon]

For a fuller experience, perhaps bring a bunch of your staff/co-workers along! You'd have the social aspect, of open interaction. You could just walk over to someone to communicate instead of messaging them. I think it would allow you, and your colleagues to properly appreciate the space, being surrounded by each other. You could all give your thoughts and experiences of the place afterwards too! Maybe we could get a Part 2 :)

[@bugmanjollykk]

Yes, but aren't there colleagues there he wouldn't want to see/talk to? This is idealistic nonsense. Open offices are linked to decreased productivity.

[@juliegolick]

I don't think you'd have enjoyed working there if it was full of people. Imagine if only 10% of them were on conference calls or Zoom meetings. Unless those columns also have REALLY GOOD noise dampening features, you're gonna be bombarded by other people's conversations and not be able to focus. There's a reason open-office floor plans are so hated nowadays.

[@ntdscherer]

Worse yet, imagine the 1930s with dozens of people working on mechanical typewriters.

[@ThatRosco458]

The best office is quiet, comfortable, not distracting, highly customized to a specific person, and a very short commute The best office is your home

[@KshitijKV]

Last transition was so meta!

[@nationeer]

Gosh I've been waiting for vox or Phil make a video about this since that workspace video, happy that it finally happened

[@Fey418]

Great video. The best part was what you said at 12:36. It encapsulates everything that is important in this long discussion about getting back or not to the offices after the pandemic has ended. People are what makes the places important to be or not. It all depends on the amount and quality of interaction with other workers to accomplish well your job, and since each job has specific needs and demands, we shouldn't rush to judge those who want to go back to to the office as "old fashioned baby-boomers" nor call those who want to stay home as "lazy millenials".

[@fabiomes]

It’s a great video about an astounding building. But the conclusion we can all come to is that you truly miss working with other people at a physical office.

[@chaXolon]

I always enjoy the documentaries you are creating. No matter if culture, arts, tech, work - It is really inspiring. :)

[@maggieo]

Absolutely lovely vid. I think a major part of your experience, trying to work there, was *both* the lack of other people there, and, the way that your person workspace is so fundamentally different from that of those who worked there. You may have been in that room, but you were still in *your office.* When you work at a laptop, the computer is the entirety of your office. You wind up with a compression-expansion-compression experience the moment you open the laptop. Especially in a room where you're the only person there. Without other people, it's *just a room.* A very nce room, but really no different from the home office where I'm typing this comment. Oh, and thanks for taking me back to my days in art school, where we immersed ourselves in this kind of stuff!! Phantastic stuff, Phil!!!

[@seasong7655]

I love how this looks more like the future, than our future

[@Delvis343]

1. I am a huge FLW fan and this video was wonderful. 2. Bridgett has astonishingly white teeth.

[@alarqb]

Many years ago, I watched a rare documentary about this building, and although the documentary was very boring, the grandeur of this building and the genius of its design attracted me.

[@KaterynaM_UA]

I really learned to love well designed coworking spaces. I love them open plan but with lots of nooks and crannies, so each table feels a bit secluded from the rest, so there is minimal reason for people to walk begins you and look at your screen. Large silent spaces where everyone just works in headphones and nice communal areas with coffee stations. That’s my jam!

[@AmeenSeytu]

I love how commited (to the topic at hand) the team is in every single video. I love the information you provide

[@momotaroreincarnatednthtim6303]

Best office is when you don't see the office bullies, power trippers and hyperactive annoying colleagues . Been WFH since 2018 and my dining area is the best office ever! Second is my bedroom.

[@onemorechris]

100%

[@nickstanosevic339]

Hope you enjoyed your stay in Racine, I hope you also toured the other public frank Lloyd wright building in Racine and saw the other works by him in our lovely city.

[@augustobutinger4460]

I love it how this channel talks about architecture. So cool!

[@Garbimba1900]

I loved everything about this video! Thank you, Phil and Vox!

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

Convert it to a library. The compression and expansion concept works with libraries.

[@poakssa]

I'd absolutely hate working in a office like this, because of the lack of walls everyone will interupt you during your work not to mention managers walking on the second level like prison guards.

[@alschroeder1724]

Frank Lloyd Wright was the reason I got into drafting/design and this building, Fallingwater, The Guggenheim and the Beth Sholom Synagogue were buildings that were the biggest inspiration. Touring the S.C. Johnson Wax headquarters was amazing. We were not allowed to photograph, (jealous of you on that!) but I could have spent a whole day just absorbing the details and design. I like you totally geeked out on this tour. I recommend to EVERYONE, if they are ever in Madison/Racine area take the tour. See a very historic piece of architecture and listen to the stories from the guides. Such an incredible building (as were all of his structures) FYI, If you get a chance get down to Bartlesville Oklahoma and spend the night in the Price Tower. Well worth it.

[@petertiggerdine2631]

There's so much to unpack in this as an architecture and ontology nerd. So much Thanks

[@samclay2613]

god i love architecture

[@somerandomfella]

So futuristic for the 30's..

[@pedrotcp]

More than a video about a building, this is a video about people and I love it. The best frame in the world without a painting is still just a frame.

[@scottlinton6577]

I miss post covid life when we were all working everyday together. I feel like a lot of people (architects mostly) missed the true meaning of this video, which is, you can be in the most beautiful room but I’m you are alone is doesn’t feel the same. Human experience is best when it’s shared.

[@Plan73]

Remember guys, open offices are designed by people in their closed offices.

[@keatonhughes7269]

The space is real pretty, but there's something to be said for privacy in a communal space.

[@cdscissor]

Compression Expansion... where does this feel familiar from... Oh! Ghibli films do this a lot! The flower garden in Spirited Away, that tiny passing only kids fit in from My Neighbor Totoro, the narrow alleyway leading eventually to the novelty shop in Whisper of the Heart and again a narrow alleyway leading to the Cat Bureau in The Cat Returns. There really is something magical about it :)

[@VithorCasteloTutoriais]

i think this office is great not just as a piece of architecture history, but as step on companies treating employees as people, and caring for their well being, confort,ergonomics ,motivation and even inspiration, great video vox, amazing as always

[@bugmanjollykk]

I see it as the opposite. "Thanks" to Frank Lloyd Wright, managers in this type of office setting are given special, private, corner offices with views of nature, while the peasant working class employees are given none of these luxuries, and are placed on the bottom floor with management on the top tier. There's no privacy from your coworkers or supervisors. I don't understand why people view FLW as "great". His quote about making the office a "cathedral" seems out of touch with reality.

[@FrootNinja]

Agreed, being remote then finally going into the office and having that social interaction is sooo refreshing. It's the people not the place sometimes.

[@ProfessorFatMan]

What if he was a time traveler and knew that this building would re-shape the way corporations built their headquarters? Just food for thought but its very interesting how much of the designs were waaaay ahead of its time. What really got me was the "drawers" from under the desks. Truly unique architecture for the 1930's.

[@brianl4279]

Wow Phil, this was a delight to watch. Very engaging, wonderful storytelling, and a powerful but not too heavy resolution about a topic I would've never cared (or even known) about. Your team has done an incredible job. Please keep up the good work!

[@mrt_px5583]

I'm studying architecture. I had a lecture about Wright two days ago, and today I have to make a paper about him. Great timing

[@thejtotti29]

I think a really important thing to mention is that aside from the building being vacant, our way of working has also changed dramatically since the days of Johnson wax. I practice architecture, so I found it especially interesting that you felt nothing special by working in that space. Im not surprised! Makes me think about how the nature of desk work has evolved into something that is totally divorced from “place,” and how the social patterns of the workplace, regardless of discipline or area of business, are totally flattened by screen-centric work. It seems to me that much of the architecture we inhabit today reflects this “flattening” of shared spaces as our digital lives have accentuated our already hyper individualistic culture. (speaking from USA culture+patterns of urban development) We inhabit and build spaces that behave more and more in a transactional fashion; we go to a place to do a thing that we want/need then retreat to our own space. This is in contrast to how in the past (or today in any European city) life was/is lived as a constant exchange between individuals and their environment (social, ecological, built) whereas today one can get everything they “need” from anywhere, and nowhere, from whoever the algorithm connects you with… (Not tryna sound like a Luddite, just musing here) (also note that architects, at least good ones, don’t want to build these kinds of places. It is the real estate developers who make places as things to sell and not as environments to live in)

[@artofgettingup1984]

exactly - I think a lot of the value add talking points are more validators for other things that don't really have to do with culture or collaboration

[@thejtotti29]

@@artofgettingup1984 what sort of 'value add talking points' do you mean?

[@artofgettingup1984]

@@thejtotti29 as in that we must continue to follow this model in order to fiat culture, community, value, collaboration, insert any other buzz word here. I could be wrong, but I think some of these reasons to go back to work in a physical location aren’t really being elevated as much as people want us to believe simply because of the proximity or physical location we are visiting

[@thejtotti29]

@@artofgettingup1984 ok I think I see what you’re getting at now. Yes, it has long been the dream of architects that if they could design a pro-social space (as an example) that then people would be more sociable in that space. The “if you build it they will come” mentality. Problem is that culture and behavior goes in the opposite direction usually; people believe certain things and then want to act in certain ways and then will sometimes then craft an environment to support that behavior. This isn’t to say that design cannot “suggest” certain ways of relating and being, but it isn’t as if a design determines how people will interact with that design. All that said, I still think there are benefits to inhabiting a shared space with a specific purpose with others, it is just less immediate or convincing when we can do most of our work from a screen that can be located anywhere. This goes without mentioning that many workspaces often perform more as a means of management having more power and control over workers rather than serving as a true forum or platform for community.

[@artofgettingup1984]

@@thejtotti29 exactly, especially on the latter which is the quiet part most people don't want to say

[@GhostsOfThings]

It's really a shame to see it not being used? It would be neat to have it be a shared work space or a public library or something. Beautiful building though. I've always admired it!

[@markgrudzinski914]

I was lucky to attend a wedding in Racine and the bride's mom worked at SE Johnson. She took us on a personal tour of the space. It was jaw dropping. So beautiful.

[@kristiknight7586]

This was great to watch, thank you! I got to tour this building about 1990, when people still worked in it. After having read about it in school, I was surprised by the scale. It wasn't *quite* as grand as I'd expected, but by then I had been in many massive buildings with huge atriums -- Woodfield shopping mall, for one. The John Hancock building and others in downtown Chicago. By comparison this grand space felt less ambitious, and yet somehow still imposing. Watching people work there, they seemed to be minimized by the space rather than affirmed by it. And there was that panopticon effect of having the managerial hallway above, looking down onto the foreshortened workers. The comparison to a grand cathedral is one I don't believe I had heard before. Thinking about the stated function of a grand cathedral, which is to exalt God, compared to the practical effect, which is to humble the individual, it seems natural to call into question exactly what Wright's motives may have been.